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Lasagna with beef and béchamel – Slow Food heaven.

When my daughter saw this dish come from the oven, she said it looked like Beef Wellington. The idea was spot on, but this is about a rooster, not a bovine. Breast of a coq in puff pastry This recipe is based on things I had on hand and what I hoped would work. ON HAND: Breasts of a large old rooster marinated in red wine for 48 hours. (Part of a Coq au vin i was preparing but not destined for…

Tourtière limousine (Pâté de pommes de terre et de la viande)

This is one variation of a traditional, savory dish in the Limousine region of France. It may be made with or without a layer of meat (pork) between two layers of potatoes and cream and the crust may be either a brioche or puff pastry. This tourtière is made with a puff pastry and a layer of ground pork between the sheets of potato. Tourtière limousine This is supposed to be peasant food. If…

La Toque / The Chef’s Hat

La Toque is an apple pie with a layer of almond cream inspired by chef Bruno Albouze’s « Grandma’ s Apple Pie. » The pie has a puff pastry crust. The bottom crust is perfectly constrained by the tart ring while the top crust is allowed to puff up, thus « giving rise » to the name. Maybe I should stop saying I’m using leftovers and start saying, « with xyz » that I made ahead of time – like in…

“Here’s an old-fashioned breakfast treat. The kids will never know they’re eating their oatmeal!” (The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, p. 13) La mise en place RECIPE LINK Well, I let the cat out of the bag on this one. Actually, it was a George Washington moment. I invited the family to the breakfast table for fresh muffins before going to church. Things were going well until a certain young…

Chausson aux poires (Pear turnovers)

Time to confront my fears – puff pastry. I recently watched Bruno Albouze produce several beautiful deserts using quick puff pastry – a King’s Cake, an apple pie and apple turnovers. Besides showcasing upgraded versions of classic French deserts, Albouze was demonstrating the quality results possible with a very fast method of making puff pastry. The method reduced the production of puff pastry…

Tarte aux poires et chocolat (avec des noix de Chez Bonneau)

This tart was inspired by that of Beth Dunham. If you follow her link, you’ll see why one would want to do the same. I thought I’d try to replicate hers, but then, up popped my recurring “leftover” them, and I saw some graham crackers that had been in the cupboard too long…. You know the story. So I made a crust detour, and then a filling detour (or two). So, what happened? IN THE…

Candied / Crystalized Ginger

Eggs scrambled in the fireplace? Chimnied eggs I’d say.

Farm to table comfort food I spend a good bit of time looking for French comfort food recipes that can come from a small farm and find a place on the table near the fireplace. This is one such dish, Boudin noir. Traditionally, boudin noir (blood sausage) is served warm with sautéed or roasted apples. Happily, we have a number of apple trees on the farm to help us bring this dish to the table. I…